How AI Voiceovers Are Changing Video Production
Intro
There’s an undeniable magic to a well-delivered voiceover. It can be the bridge between story and emotion, between information and impact. As a production company, we’ve always valued the nuance that comes from working with great voice talent, the kind of nuance that can’t be faked, and certainly can’t be programmed.
But even in a creative world built on human performance, technology has its place. Particularly in the early stages of a project, when the team is exploring tone, testing timings, or rapidly prototyping ideas, AI voiceovers, delivered through what are known as text-to-speech (TTS) APIs, can provide surprising agility.
TTS isn’t a replacement. But it is a tool. And used properly, it can help you shape better projects before you ever hit record.
In this post, we’ll take a look at how AI voiceovers can be used to shape productions for the better, and tee up the space for the real, human talent.
What Are TTS APIs?
TTS (Text-to-Speech) APIs are just the technical term for tools that convert written scripts into spoken audio using synthetic voice models. These models are powered by advanced AI, trained on hours of human speech, and capable of delivering natural-sounding narration in a range of tones, accents, and languages.
For production teams, the API part matters, because it allows for integration into tools, automation of outputs, and flexible customisation at scale.
Where TTS Fits In Your Production Pipeline
In our world, voiceover isn’t just about narration, it’s about timing, rhythm, and emotional cadence. That’s why TTS often enters our process long before any actor steps into a booth. Here’s where it can be most useful:
Pre-visualisation and Animatics: Rather than building early edits around silence or placeholder music, AI voiceovers give us a clear sense of how dialogue and visuals will play together.
Script Development: Hearing a script read aloud (even by an AI) reveals awkward phrasing, clunky pacing, or tonal missteps before we commit to casting.
Multi-language Mockups: TTS can be used to create temporary voiceovers in multiple languages for global testing, helping clients imagine the final output.
Rapid Prototyping: For performance marketing creatives, TTS enables quick generation of variants, different CTAs, lengths, tones, which can be refined before recording the final version.
Used like this, TTS becomes a planning tool. A scalpel, not a sledgehammer.
Which Videos Are Best Suited to TTS?
Let’s be clear: not every video needs the emotional intelligence of a professional actor. And in some cases, like internal training or low-risk explainers, AI narration provides a more polished result than the DIY approach of many companies..
Here are a few use cases where TTS earns its keep:
How-To Videos
Instructional Product Videos
Internal Comms & Training
High Volume Social Clips
But when you need soul, nuance, or comedy? Bring in the humans.
ElevenLabs and the Mainstreaming of AI Voice
Today, we’re still firmly in the camp of championing real human talent, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon. But it’s impossible to ignore how fast perceptions around synthetic voices are evolving. While Coca-Cola is legitimising AI Video Production in its Christmas campaigns, ElevenLabs, a front-runner in AI voice technology, is bringing Hollywood into the fold. Their Iconic Voices initiative allows creators to license AI voices modelled on recognisable A-list talent, blurring the line between celebrity culture and machine learning in a way that feels both uncanny and inevitable.
What does that mean for production? Not that you’ll be using a Morgan Freeman-style narration for your next explainer video, but that the bar for realism is now high enough that clients and audiences don’t immediately detect the artificial. It changes expectations, and invites new creative choices. However, one such video marketing statistic states that 55% of marketers said they would focus on creating AI-assisted explainer videos or brand videos in 2026. AI voiceovers is likely to be a huge component in that wave.
Still, even ElevenLabs positions these tools for convenience and flexibility, not artistry. The moment you want a performance that breathes, that pauses with meaning, that feels, you’re back to real actors.
Our Recommended TTS Tools
If you’re interested in exploring TTS to support your video production process, here are some of the platforms we’ve found useful:
ElevenLabs – Known for ultra-realistic voices and custom voice cloning
Falcon multilingual TTS API – The go-to tools for producing multiple languages while keeping timing consistent across versions
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech – Scalable, with strong multi-language support
Amazon Polly – Flexible and developer-friendly
Microsoft Azure TTS – Good integration within the Microsoft ecosystem
WellSaid Labs – High-quality voices with commercial licensing
Play.ht – A popular platform with growing voice libraries
Each has different strengths, from tone control to custom training, and it’s worth testing a few to see what feels natural to your workflow.
And, finally…
In an era where content is measured in speed and scale, it’s tempting to look for shortcuts. But voice, real, expressive, human voice, isn’t something we believe should be automated.
That said, we’re not purists either. If AI can help get us to a better brief, a tighter animatic, or a faster approval cycle, that’s a win. And the truth is, our clients feel it too, they want to see and hear things early. They want the reassurance that an idea works before the final performance is laid down.
TTS doesn’t replace the voice, it reshapes the process. It gives us space to experiment, refine, and reimagine the tone before we press record. In a world where craft still matters, it’s less about cutting corners and more about carving out clarity.
